ANKENY, Iowa — A state panel gave preliminary approval Thursday to 23 projects to receive $30 million in the latest round of I-JOBS funding for disaster prevention measures.

The recommendations of the I-JOB Board’s review committee will be forwarded to the full board for consideration at its Sept. 15 meeting.

The largest grants went to two separate projects in Linn County to build two Cedar Rapids fire stations with the help of $6.6 million from the I-JOBS bonding program and more than $1 million for a levee project in Cedar Rapids.

Woodbury County was the only other county to win preliminary approval for two projects — $3.8 million for a joint field services facility in Sioux City and more than $1 million for a storm water protection project in Sergeant Bluff.

A levee repair project in Des Moines tabbed for $2.1 million in I-JOBS money was the top-scoring project among 91 applications that were considered for the latest round of competitive grants. A flood mitigation project in Coralville was granted partial funding of $3.65 million as the 23 project to be funded, but fell short of its requested level by nearly $900,000 because the review committee had exhausted the $30 million approved by the Iowa Legislature last session.

The only Quad-City area projects approved were $296,240 for a levee project in Sabula and $850,250 for a new fire station in Muscatine. Several other Quad-City area projects, including two in Davenport, were denied or deferred.

“There are a lot of great projects out there and there’s a lot of need, but there’s not a lot of money,” said Pat Baird, chairman of the review panel. “We know that some communities are going to be unhappy and upset with us.”

Joseph Jones of the Iowa Finance Authority said the agency received 183 notices of intent to apply and 143 actual applications by the August deadline. A total of 112 applications were scored by committee members and 91 projects were deemed eligible for grants, with 23 of those receiving initial approval under the program’s competitive grant process.

Two other projects qualified for targeted funding set aside by the legislature.

A public works building in Waterloo won preliminary approval for a $5 million I-JOBS grant, while a six-block green pilot project to upgrade sidewalks, streets, energy efficiency and storm water runoff received nearly $1.2 million in I-JOBS funding.

The Cedar Rapids fire stations and a Fort Madison project were approved subject to providing additional information before the Sept. 15 I-JOBS Board meeting.

Previously, the I-JOBS Board approved $118.5 million in competitive grants for 58 projects and $46.5 million for targeted projects. The two targeted projects in Waterloo and West Union that won preliminary approval Thursday were part of a $30.9 million pool of money that lawmakers earmarked for 16 projects – 14 of which were previously funded.